40 Things We Learned At The Hedgehog Convention

Last week, we went to the Eastern States Hedgehog Show in La Plata, Md. Hedgehog conventions are like dog shows except better, because they have hedgehogs in them. People brought their hedgies from all over the country to participate in the Best in Show competition, meet other hedgies and hedgie-people, and just generally have a great time. It was awesome. Here is what we learned:

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1. The first rule of Hedgie-Con is that you better be ready to enjoy yourself.

8. Hedgehogs aren’t pets; they’re “quill kids.”

A lot of people refer to their hedgies as their “kids” or their “quill kids.” When the hedgehog judge told us that she had to “leave her kids at home,” it took us a while to figure out that she was talking about her own hedgehogs. It’s pretty adorable.

34. Hedgehog guardians often fall into it accidentally: Regina’s grand-guardian told us that his daughter came home from college with an “unplanned hedgehog.”

“And now here we are,” he said. He also said that if someone had told him 20 years ago when he was living a wild life in New York that in 20 years time he’d be at a hedgehog convention, he’d have thought they were crazy. Even though he thought it was weird, he was extremely supportive of his daughter and her passion for hedgies.

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35. Hedgehogs collect points every time they get a ribbon at a certified hedgehog show…

… and the hedgehogs with the most points are admitted to the top secret “hedgehog military.”

Yep. There is a hedgehog military and it is a REAL THING.

One person showed us all the awards that her hedgehog, Speedy, had won. Before Speedy crossed the rainbow bridge, he was the “most decorated hedgehog of all time” and a two-star general in the hedgehog military, according to his person. Pretty big deal in the hedgehog community.

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36. Winning “Best In Show” is a great honor for both hedgehogs and humans.

39. Everyone who meets a hedgehog falls in love. This girl was just staying at the hotel with her parents, but her eyes lit up when she pet her first hedgehog.

40. And even though not every hedgehog gets a first-place ribbon, every single one of them is a winner. Because they have tiny little snuffly noses and spines on their back and if that’s not a winner, it’s not even clear what is.